Stivers photography students win 2025 YoungArts Awards

Left to right. Stivers School for the Arts photography students Brea Carpenter, Halime Ousman, Zan Holtgrave, Shelby Carter and Torrey Rainey are recipients of the Young Arts Awards. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Left to right. Stivers School for the Arts photography students Brea Carpenter, Halime Ousman, Zan Holtgrave, Shelby Carter and Torrey Rainey are recipients of the Young Arts Awards. CONTRIBUTED

Five photography students from Stivers School for the Arts are among the recipients of the 2025 YoungArts Awards from the National Foundation of the Advancement of Artists.

The YoungArts Award recognizes work that “demonstrates exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry and a depth of thinking/performance that exceeds the level of peers at this career stage.” YoungArts award winners receive a monetary award of $250.

Brea Carpenter, Shelby Carter, Zan Holtgrave, Halime Ousman and Torrey Rainey have been recognized as YoungArts Award winners. They are seniors enrolled in CTE Photography, Stivers’ two-year career tech program.

Stivers School for the Arts photography student Torrey Rainey is among the 2025 YoungArts Award recipients. This image is a sample of her work. TORREY RAINEY

Credit: TORREY RAINEY

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Credit: TORREY RAINEY

“This competition is very work extensive and competitive — the standards are really high,” said Leah Stahl, who has taught photography at Stivers for 12 years. “YoungArts focuses on the conceptual value of the photograph and not just the technical aspects. It’s a more mature contest for teenagers.”

In addition Carter, Holtgrave and Rainey are among only 10 students to receive YoungArts Award With Distinction honors. The criteria involves demonstrating “exceptional technique, a strong, sophisticated, nuanced, and clear artistic point of view, and a depth of thinking/performance that far exceeds the level of peers at this career stage.” Winners at this level are invited to participate in National YoungArts Week in Miami in January and will have their work further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000. Award winners with distinction who attend National YoungArts Week and meet the eligibility requirements are also considered for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

Stivers School for the Arts photography student Zan Holtgrave is among the recepients of the 2025 YoungArts Award.  This image is a sample of his work. ZAN HOLTGRAVE

Credit: ZAN HOLTGRAVE

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Credit: ZAN HOLTGRAVE

“I’m so proud of my students,” Stahl added. “They take personal experience and put their own spin on it. As artists, we’re problem solvers, and whatever we’re faced with we have to come up with a creative solution. If you’re lucky enough to be an artist and work through problems and come up with different perspectives in looking at the actual problem, you can also come up with a different perspective in fixing it. Our students also have the time dedicated to put toward the art. At Stivers School for the Arts, art is not just a special class. It’s in the curriculum all the way.”

Stivers School for the Arts photography student Halime Ousman is among the 2025 YoungArts Award recipients. This image is a sample of her work. HALIME OUSMAN

Credit: HALIME OUSMAN

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Credit: HALIME OUSMAN

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